Transitioning from College to Careers
Dr. Marsha Fralick
Ice Breaker
Find a partner
Introduce yourself
Where do you work?
What should I visit if I were a tourist in your
town?
Overview
The problem
The research
Critical elements of career development
Some practical tools
What students can do
A call to action
Resources and References
Handout
www.collegesuccess1.com
Click on Conferences
PowerPoint
Research Articles
Assessments
Career Resources
The most important reason students go to
college is to find a satisfying career.
“I am in the New Millennial
generation. We want to go
to school to get an
education and have a nice
career at the end.”
The Problem
Students are graduating and having a difficult
time finding a career.
Some lose motivation because they have not
chosen a major and drop out of college.
Student loan debt averages $31,000 for a BA.
9 percent of recent grads are unemployed.
The solution
What can faculty do?
What can students do?
The Research:
Benefits of Career Development
Folsom and Reardon examined research on
college career development from 1920-2003
based on 17,600 students.
Obvious Benefits
• Increases knowledge of career
information
• Helps students choose a major and
career
• Helps students with decision-making
Students like taking career courses.
Career Development Increases:
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Intrinsic motivation
Internal locus of control
Self-knowledge
Cognitive development
Retention
Graduation rates!
Graduation Rates
• 4 Year colleges
On average, only 40% graduate in 6 years
• Community colleges
On average, only 20% graduate in 3 years
College Success:
A Study of Positive and Negative Attrition
• The successful student
had a definite goal or
college major.
• Based on this research, a
career development
component was added to
our college success
course.
Noteworthy Results
• 87% of students had chosen
a major by the end of the
course
• 62% of students reported
more confidence in their
academic skills
• 88% of students rated the
course as good or very good
Critical Elements of Career Development
• Career assessments
with individual
interpretation and
feedback
• Current and reliable
career info
• Written exercises to
engage students
Some Practical Tools
Personality Assessment
• Valid
• Reliable
• Based on college scenarios that are easy
to read and understand
• Personality types (I-E, S-N, T-F, J-P)
Follow the directions on the
handout to take the Do What You
Are
Multiple Intelligences
• Based on Howard Gardner’s theory of
multiple intelligences
• Definition: The human ability to solve
problems or design or compose something
valued in at least one culture
• Helps students think positively about their
talents
• Connects multiple intelligences to careers
Sample Profile
Critical Element:
Current and Reliable Career
Information
Career Information
Both the personality and multiple intelligences
assessments connect to the O*Net database
of careers
Critical Element:
Written Exercises to Engage
Students
Journal Entries
Student
Portfolio
Sample Student
Students add
careers to their
online portfolio
Personal Feedback
What can students do to improve
their career prospects after
college?
Think
Pair
Share
2 minutes
The Research
Rutgers University
• 40% of students reported that they should
have been more careful about choosing a
major.
• They would have done more to prepare for
careers
– Internships
– Part time work
– More courses to prepare for a career
My blog has current issues and teaching tips.
www.collegesuccess-fralick.blogspot.com
What Students Can Do
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Use Career Services
Volunteer
Internships
Part time work
Informational interviewing
Use online tools
– LinkedIn
– Facebook
• Establish personal brand online
• Incorporates knowledge of self and how
personal strengths can be used in the
workplace
• Manage online presence
Manage Online Presence
• Photos or references to drug or alcohol use
or abuse
• Discriminatory comments on race, religion
or gender
• Negative comments about previous
employers
• Poor communication skills
Set up a nameplate website
About.me
Take control of your online presence.
Include:
Resume
Samples of work
Website
Goal
-An aim or desired result
A Job, A Career or a Calling?
By Martin Seligman
A Job
What you do for a paycheck
A Career
Has deeper personal meaning
Involves achievement, prestige and power
A Calling
A passionate commitment to a job for it’s own sake
A complete absorption in an activity whose
challenges match perfectly with your abilities.
Comments or Questions?